(Watchstanders) Night at the Library

[Seryna]

Otto was unable to find the information that he was looking for.

The driver did arrive and convey him to Cedar Grove Park, although the driver lingered as he looked over the scene. Yellow crime scene tape was traversed over a section of the parking lot, forcing the driver to be directed to pull over by a playground. The parking lot was blocked off my crime scene technicians. Several police cars were parked in key areas to block off access to the site. A police officer was slowly walking over to the driver of the car as the driver of the rideshare came to a stop.

[Otto Schneider]

Otto started to open his door to exit the vehicle, though if the officer gave any indication that he should stay put, he'd do so. Being mostly bulletproof doesn't mean I feel like playing games.

Regardless of whether the officer let him disembark, the Priest tied to grab their attention. "Sorry, officer. He's just my ride, I was just going to take a short walk on my way back to a friend's apartment." He made a point of glancing at the marked cars before feigning surprise as he looked back to the approaching officer. "Is everything... alright? Nobody's hurt, right? I don't see an ambulance." The Ventrue made a mental note to tread lightly, recalling the Prince's law regarding emergency responders.

[Seryna]

"Stop and please get back in the vehicle, sir. Nobody is allowed access to the Park." The officer is a White Male. He is looking Otto over carefully. A Maglite is in his left hand and aimed at Otto's chest.

"There has been an incident at the park."

[Otto Schneider]

The Priest gingerly retreated back into the vehicle, though he rolled down the window to maintain eye contact with the officer. He remained undaunted by the mortal man's behavior. Always let them think that they're in command of the situation. It was a good rule of thumb for manipulating anyone who thought they held the upper hand, but especially so for armed mortals.

"Alright, we can drive around or something. But at least tell me something about what's going on. I've got friends who live around here, I need to know if they're alright." He was tempted to exercise his Discipline on the man, but it was a bit early. Spending precious Vitae for information that could be learned for free would be too hasty.

[Seryna]

"You will leave the area." The officer replied firmly. He looks towards the driver now.

"Depart the parking lot immediately. Or we can have a more indepth conversation." Dark brown eyes move back to Otto.
"You can check your local news services. I am not at liberty to discuss ongoing investigations. Feel free to contact your friends on your mobile device." The Officer replied. He takes a few strides away from the vehicle and glances on either side of him. He appears to be maintaining domain awareness.

"Uh. Sir." The rideshare driver appears hesitant. He glances at you inquistively. Do you want to stay?
What is Otto's goal?

[Otto Schneider]

Smells like bullshit. Otto was severely tempted to use the Lord's Words to force some straight answers out of the officer but decided against it. He probably wouldn't get much value out of a rank-and-file officer that was doing crowd control and the risk of getting entangled with law enforcement was too high.

"Just drive." He told the driver, putting a new destination into the app a few blocks away. However, once the vehicle rounded a corner to break the line of sight between the park and the car, the Ventrue would tell the driver to stop. "Let me out here but complete the drive to the destination. I'll give you five stars and," Otto fished around in his wallet for about $40, "a generous tip."

It would give him a slight alibi just in case and allow him to stick around the general vicinity of the park while he planned his next move. Now would be a good time to call the Reeve...

Otto isn't trying to push the cops into a confrontation, but he does want to see if he can discretely learn what they're investigating. Especially if it could in any way point to a Masquerade breach. That said, he would want to call Helen at this point to give her an update. Would it be best to start a Comms thread separate from this? And if so, should this thread be closed or kind of left here for the moment?

[Seryna]

The police officer turns his head to watch the car leave the parking lot. Otto notes that there are two tents set up, one in the parking lot and one in the park proper. There are technicians in blue jumpsuits and booties and plainsclothes detectives walking around the area.
"Hey, thanks." The driver stops the car. The tip is accepted. Otto is now standing around the corner from the park with a heavy police presence.

I would highly advise you to close this thread so that it enters continuity. That means you can discuss the events that happened here with others. Then call the Reeve to arrange a meeting to discuss the sensitive elements of the investigation.

[Otto Schneider]

Thread closing. Otto will contact the Reeve shortly.